Humans are addicted to comfort. That's why Diogenes pushed his limits so far that he gave away everything to live like a madman. He was onto something, I think.
His disregard for social norms and material possessions is admirable, and the further I go, the more I understand his wisdom.
Living in a van full time defies said norms and rids one of most of their possessions.
I’ve always admired people who had no attachement to things, so I decided to be like them.
As some of you know, I pride myself on being an essentialist who lives with under 130 items. That number includes our van (our home), our car, and everything in between.
Surprisingly, I’d love to downsize even more.
After all, I don’t want vanlife to be the final stop on my essentialist (and minimalist) journey.
Anyway, so Diogenes, along with thinkers like Nietzsche, posited that a life without challenges isn’t worth living. Struggles give life meaning and help us grow.
Dostoevsky also suggested that it’s through suffering that individuals achieve a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world. I couldn’t agree more.
Life did test us this week (I’m dramatizing), but all bad things come to an end.
Bad week turned good
This week, our batteries went out unexpectedly.
It was close to midnight and we’d just gotten into bed with our Maxxfan on. The next few days were going to be really hot, so our ceiling fan wasn’t a luxury but a necessity.
I often check the charge of our batteries before going to bed. I left them at 84%.
However, a couple of hours later, POOF! lights out!
It’s the second time this bug happens in 4 months. Perhaps it’s worth investigating, but this isn’t the point of this story.
When you live in a van, all it takes for things to go south is one bug. One bug and you lose access to water, fridge, lights and ceiling fan.
Our electric setup
We have two 100Ah lithium batteries. They charge while we drive and are connected to a small, 160w solar panel.
The panel is meant to top them up when we’re stationary, bringing in 4 to 5% a day, just under what we use daily (6 to 7% in peak summer days with the fan on 24/7 and the fridge working overtime).
We have an outdoor plug but hate campsites, so we’ve never used it. To be honest, I regret installing it.
Anyway, the day after the bug, we took an unplanned road trip to a town about an hour away from here, Padua (or Padova). The town was nice, but we could’ve done without it. That drive brought our batteries up to 6% each, which meant we could finally use our fridge. Yay!
The following day, we left our van in the sun all day. Our batteries reached 9 and 10% respectively. The problem with this solution is, when the van stays in the sun, it turns into a life-size oven.
Yes, it’s thoroughly insulated. No, you can’t insulate against the sun.
Venice, Italy
God is good though, because had this happened elsewhere, I would probably be telling a different story.
However, because we are in Venice, these past few days didn’t feel so bad. In fact, they were pretty awesome (minus the mosquitoes).
We’re currently parked near an amazing park, one of the most impressive I’ve been to, that happens to have a library with AC.
I think we spent three straight days at the library, working, playing video games (yes, they have a PS5), reading, attending conferences, and meeting new people.
It saved us!
Aside from that, we also caught a Euro24 game in a local bar: Spain vs. Italy. Spain won it, of course. My wife and I were the only ones rooting for Spain in the bar. We also were the only foreigners.
On Saturday, we went to an art expo and then a live concert by the shore.
On Sunday, I attended a CrossFit event that lasted the whole weekend. CrossFit events are typically known for their loud music, this one was no exception.
In the end, the heatwave is over, we got ourselves a new DC-DC charger fitted (today) to increase our charging capacity while driving. We might leave Venice tomorrow or the day after, but Venice will always stay in our hearts.
Thanks for reading.
Tee.